M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives

Edward Durell Stone and the Building of the Uptown Campus, 1961-1971

Architectural model of the Uptown Campus designed by Edward Durell Stone as viewed from the north to the south.
Photography by Burns Brothers, University Archives Photograph Collection, #881

Edward Durell Stone and the Building of the Uptown Campus, 1961-1971 contains
items drawn from the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and
Archives' University Archives and book collection and is on exhibit in the lobby
of the University Library from September through December 2006 and an
expanded version will be unveiled in January 2007 in the Science Library. A number
of items and information from the exhibit are made available here as an
introduction to the physical exhibit. As part of the Architecture at Albany year-long exploration of the
built environment at the University at Albany and its surrounding community,
the exhibit profiles the work of architect Edward Durrell Stone, provides
a glimpse into the construction of the Uptown Campus, and highlights the
reactions to and uses of the University at Albany's Main Campus.
The exhibit was curated by Geoffrey P. Williams, University Archivist.

Edward Durell Stone

Edward Durell Stone was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1902 and died
in New York City in 1978. He attended the University of Arkansas,
Harvard Architectural School, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
School of Architecture. Initially a disciple of the International School
of architecture, by the 1950s he had developed his own romantic
international style. By the mid-1950s Stone was so well known that he was
featured on the cover of Time magazine, a singular honor for an architect.
By then he had designed the United State Embassy in New Delhi, India (1954)
and the United States Pavilion at the Brussels World Fair.

Governor Nelson Rockefeller and the Campus

Governor Nelson Rockefeller picked Edward Durell Stone to design a
campus that concentrated buildings in the center of the
campus, leaving cars and parkland around the perimeter. Governor Nelson
Rockefeller took a keen interest in the campus, addressing
the first Commencement in 1966, loaning his art collection for the first
University Art Gallery exhibit and attending it's opening, and campaigning for
President on the campus in 1968.

Campus Construction

The Uptown Campus was constructed
between 1961 and 1971 on the former rolling hills of the Albany Country Club
and the first classes were held on the Academic Podium in the fall 1966.
The entire area was bulldozed into a flat sandy site removing all trees and contours before construction
started. During construction, all of the supporting columns, walls, and roofs were pre-cast
yielding significant construction savings as forms were used over and over
again.

The Academic Podium as the Center of the Academy

Stone's vision of the Academic Podium as the center of the Academy has
had considerable success. From the late 1960s to today the podium has been
the favored site for political demonstrations, student activities, and
official activities such as Candlelight Ceremony welcoming freshman and
Torch Night. The Academic Podium also has a lighter side. Students coined
the word "podiating" to describe informally relaxing on the podium. The
fountain area quickly attracted student interest, first as a wading pool,
and then as the site of Fountain Day, a sometimes raucous celebration of
the arrival of spring. Stone was pleased by the use of the fountain as
an informal wading pool.

Additional Resources

The M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives' holdings
include a number of resources related to the University at Albany's campuses including: